Governor: 'come down and have a chat'

BOULDER -- Boulder County commissioners are to discuss oil and gas regulations with Gov. John Hickenlooper and his staff during a Tuesday afternoon meeting.

Cindy Domenico, chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners, said the governor invited commissioners "to come down and have a chat" about oil and gas issues.

Hickenloper's staffers "know we're working on draft regulations" about oil and gas drilling in unincorporated Boulder County, Domenico said on Friday.

She said she didn't know if there's a specific agenda for the 3 p.m. Tuesday meeting to be held in the governor's office suite in state Capitol building in Denver, or whether other counties have been invited, as well.

Domenico said she and fellow Commissioners Will Toor and Deb Gardner may tell Hickenlooper of their desire for state law and Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rules to give local governments such as Boulder County more authority to make local land-use decisions in regulating oil and gas exploration within those local jurisdictions.

Earlier this week, Boulder County's commissioners held a Tuesday public hearing and a Thursday work session on a draft of new oil and gas regulations the county board is considering. Those county rules, which the commissioners may adopt by the end of the year, would update and replace county Land Use Code provisions that date back to 1993.

Domenico said in a Thursday statement that "we believe we are on the right track in working towards regulations that are as protective of public health and air and water quality as is possible, given the legal authority the county has under Colorado law. We will continue working on finalizing regulations where we have local jurisdiction and to also work with our state agencies, legislators and other governing bodies to continue to improve the safety of oil and gas drilling for all residents of Colorado."

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